he Centre was made possible by a US$8 million gift from the Bia-Echo Foundation, based in the US, whose founder is attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan.

Research initiatives at the Centre will be led by scientists and clinicians from NUS Medicine and other institutions here as well as the Asia-Pacific, US and Europe, and specialising in women’s reproductive health, ageing, and digital medicine.

The effort will seek to find ways to improve and lengthen female reproductive health and longevity, helping women to preserve and improve their reproductive systems for conception and general health, potentially enabling women to conceive safely in their later years.

Declining fertility and associated health risks

The issue of female fertility has come into sharp focus in recent years, with more women getting married later and having children later in life. In Singapore, the number of women giving birth in their 40s has almost doubled in the last three to four decades, according to data from Singapore Department of Statistics.

The number of births per 1,000 women aged between 40 to 45 was 9.9 in 2019, nearly double the number recorded between 1980 to 1989. However, conception is an uphill task for women above 40 as fertility declines with age. The chances of natural conception fall to less than 5% and this also often comes with serious health risks and complications, such as miscarriages and premature live births, and higher chances of having a child with Down’s Syndrome.

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9.9

out of every 1,000 births
were given by women aged
between 40 to 45 in 2019

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Furthermore, as women in their 40s approach menopause, they also face increasing health issues such as metabolic diseases, neurocognitive decline, osteoporosis, and poor urogenital health, which result in poorer general health. Current medical approaches to assist conception include the use of fertility drugs, as well as reproductive assistance technologies. Their efficacy, however, remains limited as the woman ages.

“It was during my time as a study-abroad student at NUS Law school that I came to realise the unique position Singapore is in to be a pioneer in science and governance for this generation of innovators. I couldn’t be happier to support NUS Medicine’s leadership in women reproductive longevity and equality. Professor Chong Yap Seng has long been a leader in reproductive health in Singapore, and has created a world class team of researchers and scientists that connects the fields of women health and longevity. Expanding the reproductive lifespan of women is an investment that I know will serve generations to come, have a positive and everlasting effect in how we approach women health, and provide greater confidence to families as they plan for the future. I hope that we can ameliorate the pain and fear so many women face today of losing reproductive capacity in their 30’s. As overall lifespan is increasing, so should reproductive lifespan,” said Ms Nicole Shanahan.